Kids Book Index
Gennifer Choldenko
When eleven-year-old Hank’s mother disappears, he is left caring for his little sister while they face eviction and an uncertain future. Determined to keep their family together, Hank turns to an unfamiliar person listed on an emergency contact form and asks for help. The story follows his efforts to protect his sister and find support after their mother vanishes.
This book appears on 3 reading lists across 1 edition from 3 organizations.
Murray Out of WaterTaylor TracyTwelve-year-old Murray faces the aftermath of a hurricane that destroys her beachfront home and breaks her magical connection to the ocean. Far from home, she tries to recover that connection while facing an emerging LGBTQ+ identity and conflict with her censorious, homophobic mother. The story is told in free verse.Twelve to FourteenLexile Text Measure 811LATOS Book Level 5.2On the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
Red Bird DancedDawn QuigleyAriel and Tomah have grown up together in an intertribal apartment complex. When Ariel’s Auntie Bineshiin disappears, Ariel begins a school project about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. Tomah, who loves observing birds and sharing traditional stories, hides that he cannot read until his teacher offers help. After Auntie Bineshiin is found dead, Ariel, Tomah, and their wider Native community mourn her loss and come together through a symbolic act.Nine to TwelveOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
The Tree of Life: How a Holocaust Sapling Inspired the WorldElisa BoxerDuring World War II, Jewish children and their teacher cared for a maple sapling secretly brought into the Terezin concentration camp. The tree survived and later produced hundreds of descendants in locations around the world. This true Holocaust story follows the seedling and the people who tended it, with muted digital illustrations.Nine to TwelveOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details